The Boy Under the Table: A completely heartbreaking page turner

This is a novel that is both utterly shocking and unbearably moving which makes for a compelling tale. Told primarily from the alternating points of view of Tina, Sarah, Doug and Pete, a moment of inattention is the catalyst for tragedy in The Boy Under the Table. With stark realism, The Boy Under The Table relates a horrific reality for two lost children. Tina ended up on the streets of King Cross at barely fifteen when she left home to escape the religious zealotry of her mother and stepfather, and her grief at losing her younger brother, Tim. She shares a squat with a group of young boys, showers at a local gym and prostitutes herself, trapped in an endless cycle of poverty and despair. On a cold winter's night she accepts a client's offer to go home with him and discovers his horrifying secret, a malnourished and filthy child huddled under the man's kitchen table, tethered by ropes around his ankle and neck. While Tina's family is indifferent to her circumstances, Doug and Sarah can only imagine how their son may be suffering. When eight year old Lachlan disappeared from the Sydney Royal Easter Show, his parents were distraught. They each blamed themselves, and the other, exist

This book is one of those that has a really catchy bit, then languishes under way too much irrelevant detail. It was too easy to skip huge sections, and not miss anything relevant to the story. If you love over descriptive tales, where absolutely no imagination or ability to read between the lines is required, you will love this one.

I DONT read fiction...but i somehow mistakenly bought this. I didnt realise until way after I'd finished the book that this WAS fiction so obviously was real life enough for me. One of the best page turners I've read !!